devotions

“I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness…” Isaiah 61:10, ESV.

While preparing to leave church one day, I was gathering my purse and Bible, and I saw a vision that I was wearing a crown on my head and a beautiful robe. I stood there for a moment, thinking did I just see what I thought I did? Me? Crowned and robed? I had spent years of my life feeling unworthy and unqualified, but God was helping me see myself the way He sees me in the Spirit. He was helping me see my true identity in Christ.

If you’re still seeing yourself as less than, as unqualified, as unworthy, as labeled by people, God is going to open your eyes and help you see your true identity in Him. He is removing old garments, old ways of thinking, and old ways that have brought you dishonor. He’s going to teach you that you are not defined by your past. You are not defined by your failures. You are not defined by your current situation. You are defined by the truth of His Word. You are His daughter and you are who God said you are. Your situation may not look like you are a daughter of the King. Your body may not feel like you are God’s daughter, but you are. You are crowned and you are robed by Him.

Say out loud with me from your heart: “I am God’s daughter, crowned with His love, and robed with His righteousness. God is renewing my mind and helping me to see myself the way He sees me. He is removing old garments from me, all labels and everything false, and He is robing me and He is adorning me. I walk in my true identity in Christ and let Him honor me. In Jesus’ name.”

(Read Romans 12:2; Philippians 3:14; Zechariah 3:3-4)

“Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month” Joel 2:23, NKJV.

One day while in prayer, God placed a song on my heart that had me leaping for joy:

I see the clouds forming
I feel drops of water on my head
It’s been a dry season
But that’s about to change
God has told me
It’s going to rain

It’s going to rain, my sister. What you haven’t been able to do, you will be able to do. The blessing you’ve desired to be, you will be. It’s been a dry season, but all of that is about to change. God is promising rain.

Don’t look down, don’t look around, look up, and see in the spirit, the clouds forming. Feel the drops of rain on your head. God is saying, “Be glad, children of Zion, and rejoice in Me! For I have given you the former rain moderately, and I will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.”

God is going to fill your life with good things and make you a blessing. How do I know? Because His word promises it, and He is faithful to His promises.

Prayer: Father God, yes, I receive! It’s been dry, but that’s about to change. I speak it by faith and say out of my mouth that it’s going to rain in my life. You will do what only you can do. I will see breakthrough in my finances and every area. I will see the opportunities you’ve laid before me, and I will walk through the opened doors. I will use the gifts you’ve put in me. I will walk in my purpose, and I will be a great blessing. Thank you, Father, for sending rain! Drench me in you! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

(Read Deuteronomy 8:18; Genesis 15:1; Philippians 4:19)

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” 2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV.

As I laid my head on the kitchen table one morning, I confessed to God that I didn’t feel like praying. It wasn’t that I didn’t love Him, but I felt as though I had no energy left to press into Him like I usually do. Right there as I poured out my heart before my loving Father, He began to strengthen me.

God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness. So there’s no need for us ever to pretend that we’re not weak and needy of Him. Let Him be your strength. Let Him give you the spiritual boost you need to go on.

Thank the Lord that He hears the faintest cries and He lifts us. He is a good God who is faithful to give us the grace we need right when we need it. Pour out your heart to Him and let Him renew your strength today.

When you are weak, my friend, He is strong.

Prayer: Father God, I bless you for your goodness and your faithfulness. When I don’t feel like praying, thank you that you’re not mad. You know my need, and you meet it every time. Thanks for loving me the way you do. I need you more than anything. I receive your strength right now. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

You’re not trying to connect to God, you are already intricately connected to Him and He is already intricately interwoven into every aspect of your life. However, if you use your feelings as a determining factor, you will believe that you are disconnected from Him and end up experiencing the results of a reality that is not true.

Everything God has said about you is true. Everything. What He said about your past, what He said about your present, and what He said about your future is true, including the truth that He is the vine and you are the branch. You are not becoming one with the Father, you are already one with the Father because of Jesus. No matter what your feelings say, you are one with His love. You are one with His grace. You are one with His purpose and plan.

God promised to never leave you and He promised to never forsake you. He will never remove Himself from being one with you. Even on your worst day, He is interwoven into every fiber of your being, and He isn’t going anywhere.

Prayer: Thank you, Father, that we are one. No matter what my feelings say, it blesses me to know that we are one. Thank you that you will never leave me or remove yourself from me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

(Read Deuteronomy 31:8; John 17:21-23)

“In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Colossians 2:3

God wants to make you rich in experiences with Him. He wants you to have a treasure box filled with stories that you can share with others from your amazing journey with the Lord. However, you won’t have those experiences if you are too afraid to trust Him, too afraid to move forward from the past, or too afraid to make mistakes or succeed. God wants you to be able to share with people from your treasure box every lesson you’ve learned with Him, every hurtful experience that God turned around for your good, and every challenge that proved to be a stepping stone to greater things.

The Bible says in Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. It’s from your relationship with Christ that God will fill your treasure box and the picture album of your life. You will gain loads of wisdom and intimate knowledge that only comes through experience.

Prayer: Yes, Father God! Make me rich in experiences with you. Help me not to stand still in fear, but to walk with you where ever you lead me. You’ve brought me a long way, and I’m not turning back now. Take me from faith to faith and from glory to glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it.” Proverbs 10:22

As women, every time we make an emotional decision, it will cost us something. I have made many emotional decisions in my life and have regretted them later on. But thank God for His grace and mercy. Even when I’ve rushed ahead of Him and did what I felt was best, God has forgiven me and sometimes provided a way to restore what was lost.

Emotional decisions take away from us, rather than add to us. That is why God wants us to be led by Him, not by our emotions. Anything God wants to bless us with, anything that has our name on it, isn’t going anywhere.

If you’ve made an emotional decision that is causing you and your family strain, don’t beat yourself up about it. Ask God for forgiveness and let His Spirit of Grace turn it around for you. God is still good, my sister, and He is still on the throne. He still loves you and is going to help you learn how to make wise choices.

Here are some things to do next time you feel strongly about a decision you’re planning to make.

1. Don’t do anything until the emotions subside.
2. Sleep on it and see if you still feel the same about the decision the next day.
3. Ask God about it and wait for His peace.
4. Talk to someone before doing anything.

Prayer: Father God, please forgive me for every emotional decision I have made. I receive your forgiveness. Teach me how to wait on your leading and not just do what I feel is best. Help me Lord to grow in this area, and please provide a way to restore all that I lost. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” Joshua 1:8, NKJV.

I would like for you to read this scripture slowly three times before continuing with this devotional.

This morning I went to God in prayer. I sat my Bible down in front of me and just sat there, thinking to myself how out of control my thoughts have been lately. When I turned my attention to God, the first thing Holy Spirit reminded of is the importance of meditating on the Word of God. He said, “Kesha, where’s your mutter? What happened to you meditating on the Word of God?” Somewhere along the way, I had stopped. I’ve been all in my head, and Holy Spirit reminded me that I would have to meditate on the Word of God if I wanted to continue to experience more of Him in my life.

To meditate means to mutter. It is to say something repeatedly in a barely audible voice that only you can hear. Maybe you are like me, you’ve been all in your head lately, and you need to regain control of your mind and emotions. I want to ask you the same thing Holy Spirit asked me this morning. My sister, where’s your mutter? Where’s your meditating on the Word of God?

If your life isn’t where you want it to be, change starts with meditating on God’s Word. If your thoughts and emotions are all out of control, change begins with meditating on God’s Word.

Challenge: Take one Scripture from the Bible and begin to speak it over and over again at a volume only you can hear. It could be, “I can do all things through Christ, which strengthens (see Philippians 4:13).” Whatever scripture you choose to meditate on, continue to speak it and look for how it applies to your life and your situation. You will instantly experience a shift in perspective.

Let’s pray: Father God, my thoughts and emotions have been all over the place. Forgive me for not meditating on your Word. I receive your forgiveness. Help me to spend time thinking about, mulling over, and speaking your Word from my lips throughout the day and night. I receive your help. I want to experience more of you in my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” Romans 14:17, NKJV.

“In My kingdom there is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. You have access to Me right now. You have access to My peace right now. You have access to My joy right now. Tap into it by your faith. Many want to receive a physical blessing right now, but that is not how it works. Have not I said, seek first My kingdom and My righteousness and all these things will be added to you. It is My desire to give you My kingdom that is rich in peace. You might say, “Peace can’t pay the bills.” You might say, “I can’t eat joy for dinner.” But I say, when you come into My presence, My peace can lead you to where My provisions are. Crave more than a car. Desire more from Me than wealth. In Me are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Use your faith and receive from Me what money can not buy. Use your faith and receive My glory where victory lies. I desire to give you My kingdom. Isn’t that worth more than anything? Seek Me with your whole heart and with pure motives, and let Me fill your life with good things. Let Me fill your mind with My peace and cause your joy to be full. This is My desire. To give you more of Me.”

“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” Mark 12:30, ESV.

There was a time in my life when I wanted to love God wholeheartedly, but I didn’t know how. I felt it was an impossible standard to live up to. Then one day while watching a Christian television broadcast, the preacher said, when it comes to loving God with all of your heart, mind, soul and strength, that’s something you have to say by faith. So right there in my living room, I began to declare my love for God, and overtime those words have taken shape and have become more of a reality for me.

My sister, I encourage you to say it anyway! Call those things that be not as though they are (see Romans 4:17). Declare your love for Him by faith, and your words will take shape and will become a reality for you.

Say out loud from your heart today:

“Lord, I say right now by faith that I love you with all my heart, I love you with all my mind, I love you with all my soul, and I love you with all my strength. I love you with everything in me, and nothing makes me happier than to be your daughter and trust you! In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

(Read John 14:15)

“I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13

If your faith has brought you this far, it is your faith that will carry you on to the other side of glory! You may have come through terrible circumstances, and you don’t know how God is going to get you where He wants you to be. But if He can bring you through the pain and suffering, He can usher you into the land of the living. Don’t lose hope. Don’t limit His wisdom and grace. God will be glorified in your life. As you continue walking with Him, you will see His salvation and His glory manifested in your life!

Prayer: Thank you, God. You know exactly where I am. You are my God, and I am your daughter. You gave me a heart to believe, and it is that believing that is keeping me. Thank you for never letting me go. Thank you for your mercy and grace. Thank you for loving me the way you do. I believe in you and I trust You. Be glorified in me. In Jesus name, Amen.

(Read Psalm 37:23-37)